Slightly more stalker-ish

The List, Part 2

6. Belle & Sebastian, primarily Stuart Murdoch. Back in 2003, Belle & Sebastian were planning a 3-city US mini-tour (NYC, LA & SF) to support the release of their new album. They thought it would be fun to get a couple of fans in each city to organize a treasure hunt the week before the show and the band would present the winner with a special treasure chest on stage at the show. The band announced an essay contest on their website, and chose 2 winners in each city to run the treasure hunts. Having just done a treasure hunt for L's birthday, I felt compelled to enter the contest--and won! After weeks of hard work, my treasure hunt partner and I pulled off a treasure hunt that was so good that apparently it was too good--nobody found the final answer in time! So we were called up on stage during the concert (it was August 2003, at the Greek Theater in Berkeley), awarded with engraved medals AND a kiss on the cheek from Stuart (swoon), plus we got to hang out backstage with the band after the show. It was possibly the closest I'll ever get to becoming a hipster.

7. Jon Stewart from The Daily Show. The biggest and brightest of my Book Expo America celebrity meetings, this one took place in 2 parts. First, there was a Q & A breakfast session at BEA Chicago in 2004. Almost every single question was about politics, so at one point, I stood up and asked Mr. Stewart who he thought would win the Stanley Cup. Then he made fun of hockey. Plus, it was broadcast on CSPAN-2 (and more horrifically, it was Tivo'd by my dad who has shown it to everyone who's ever set foot in our house). I took the exchange as a personal insult and didn't watch The Daily Show for over a year. Now I can watch it again (especially after attending a live taping of the show while in NYC for BEA 2005), but my stomach still gets queasy. I learned a valuable lesson about putting myself out there for ridicule by TV personalities. Next, when Mr. Stewart was signing books in the exhibit hall later in the day (actually, he was signing blads--the book hadn't been finished yet), I said to him "You never answered my question. Tampa Bay or Calgary?" Just for fun, I put 5 bucks on his answer--and won $15.

To be continued...again...